AEW reportedly lost at least $30 million on the development of AEW Fight Forever.
Insider Gaming executive editor Mike Straw reported the figure in a new video examining the game’s development and AEW’s video game future. Straw attributed the information to sources familiar with the project.
According to the report, repeated delays and missed development deadlines contributed to escalating costs. Fight Forever was initially targeted for release in 2022 before eventually launching in June 2023.
The game’s commercial performance also reportedly fell well below its original targets, with Straw reporting that sales reached approximately half of what had been anticipated.
WrestlingHeadlines previously reported in April 2024 that Fight Forever had gone significantly over budget and was released partly so AEW could begin recovering its development costs.
That earlier report also described a strained relationship between AEW and developer Yuke’s. Straw now reports that the two sides no longer have a development agreement.
AEW reportedly retains ownership of the engine used for Fight Forever, which would allow the company to potentially work with a different developer in the future.
Straw said AEW remains interested in revisiting branded video games at some point, but his sources did not support reports that the company currently has a third-party licensing agreement in place.
AEW has not publicly confirmed the reported $30 million loss. The figure remains attributed to Straw’s sources rather than an AEW financial disclosure.
